How To Socialize Your Lhasa Apso

Lhasa Apso is an adorable, yet very fearless dog. They are cheerful and mischievous, but still very independent. Knowing how to properly socialize your Lhasa Apso is a priority, as you probably do not want a jumpy dog with the typical small-dog syndrome. Lhasa Apso might be small, but they are very sturdy and a determined little dog. A true Lhasa Apso will do anything to show their love for their owners, but they will also try their best to get something out of it.

How to socialize your Lhasa Apso? Socialization of a Lhasa Apso should start at a very young age, right when they arrive at your home. Each family member has to know how to approach the dog, without excitement or sudden yelling/moves.

A Lhasa Apso does not like negativity and yelling, as soon as this becomes the case, a Lhasa Apso will refuse to socialize and train right away. Teaching them basic obedience commands is just as important. A Lhasa Apso must know how to behave around your guests or visitors. You do not want your Lhasa Apso biting and chewing on your guests while they sip on their cup of tea.

To make training and socialization more successful, you might want to know how to reward your Lhasa Apso, praise them and buy them toys – A Lhasa Apso will love all those things and surely show more interest for socialization and training afterward.

(Also, check out answers to related questions you may have at the end of this article)

Upon getting a Lhasa Apso, you realize they will be around for the next 15 years – this means, you will have to raise them properly in order to have a dog of your dreams. Leaving your Lhasa Apso alone all the time without any socialization will result in separation anxiety and possible psychological issues.

The Importance Of Socialization And Training – How Is It Done?

Lhasa Apso is not a dog for everyone, not everyone knows the priorities and not everyone knows how to be a good dog owner. Understanding the importance of grooming chores is not enough, and of course, you must understand your dog too. Lhasa Apso is a real ‘’diva’’ at times and also very cautious as well, due to their intelligence levels. They might know how to manipulate you to give them rewards without you even realizing it, they might show their bossy attitude around other animals too. All of this combined makes it rather obvious, a Lhasa Apso needs a good owner in order to grow into a great dog as it really is.

Many owners forget about the fact that their dogs learn from them and do things they allow them to do. A Lhasa Apso is an independent dog breed, so if you are not able to be the proper owner with the attitude of one, you probably should not be getting a Lhasa Apso. While they are very loving, cheerful and always ready for action, a Lhasa Apso feels and knows how you really are. If you are in a bad mood, they might try to cheer you up, but if you are refusing to give them what they want… they might actually try and find a way to change your mind. It is important to stay calm, wise and show them who is the ‘’boss’’, otherwise, they will become the ‘’boss’’ themselves.

Why is a Lhasa Apso suspicious of the strangers and animals?

A Lhasa Apso does not like strangers, this is their watchdog side and it is extremely important to teach them how to be around other people. Originally, a Lhasa Apso will be extremely suspicious of the strangers who come to the house. They feel the need to protect their owners and the environment they call home. As a watchdog back in Tibet (where Lhasa Apso originates from), they were protecting the monasteries and were a respectable dog breed. Their instincts lead them to be suspicious and it is not something you will ever manage to completely change.

To avoid any awkward situations, you must teach your Lhasa Apso how to behave. A Lhasa Apso that is not properly socialized and trained can easily snap and be upset by strangers.

Obedience Training Is Part Of The Socialization Process Too!

Teaching your Lhasa Apso how to behave can have a huge impact on how well they socialize with other animals and people. Obedience training is the perfect time for you to figure out how your Lhasa Apso really thinks and what keeps their focus. There are many ways of how you can train your Lhasa Apso and have a great time at the same time – you just have to find the suiting way for you and your Lhasa Apso.

Positive reinforce

When it comes to Lhasa Apso dog breed, positive reinforcement is one of the most used methods for successful training. A Lhasa Apso loves rewards, treats, and praise, therefore, positive reinforcement will actually help you motivate them to train willingly. This awesome method will make your Lhasa Apso perform the best they can in order to get a reward, and to make it all even better, your Lhasa Apso will tend to repeat the good behavior afterward too! When it comes to positive reinforcement training, negative attitude, physical punishments or harsh words are something you need to avoid.

Do a relationship-based training

Relationship-based training is all about understanding body language and feelings of your Lhasa Apso. If you decide to do relationship-based training, you will need to know your Lhasa Apso rather well in order to properly do it.

Relationship-based training is very effective for those who need to teach their Lhasa Apso new behaviors or fix up their current behavior.

Make training chores enjoyable and fun

Just like us humans, dogs too like to have fun and enjoy their training. If the training is boring, too long or not rewarding enough, your Lhasa Apso will get bored of it very quickly and you will no longer be able to hold their attention at all. Make sure your training sessions are short, effective and help your Lhasa Apso stay focused.

Stay consistent and never give up

Lhasa Apso training requires a lot of consistency and effort. Your Lhasa Apso will not understand your expectations and the reason for their training if you alone are not consistent and doing your best to make it happen. It is important to train them every single day using the commands to let them know what to do.

Try to talk to all of your family members, tell them about the commands and expectations you have for your Lhasa Apso. This way, you can actually include your family members in the training and make sure your Lhasa Apso knows their commands by heart, even when not training at all.

Communication And Bond Between You And Your Lhasa Apso

Just like you wish a good morning to your family members, you can do the same to your Lhasa Apso, they will appreciate it! You might think that communication between a dog and owner is a rather basic thing based on a couple of commands and a tone of the voice – but really, it is not like that. Your Lhasa Apso can understand your words most of the time, they can feel your emotions through your speech and they also know how to follow your body language too. Try actually giving your Lhasa Apso a chance to get to know you better.

10 Ways to Improve the communication and strengthen up the bond between you and your Lhasa Apso

Take your Lhasa Apso on a picnic or a long walk every now and then, show them your favorite places and enjoy some peace and quiet together.
Talk to your Lhasa Apso as you would talk to a child, they listen and understand.
Allow your Lhasa Apso to communicate with you in their own way, know how to listen and pay attention.
Know how to treat your Lhasa Apso with their favorite treats.
Always be ready to hug and cuddle your Lhasa Apso like you would a baby.
Give your Lhasa Apso the freedom to roam around the house/apartment.
Include your Lhasa Apso in some of your daily activities.
Take your Lhasa Apso out with you when camping.
Celebrate your Lhasa Apso’s birthday, buy them a present.
Know how to surprise and keep your Lhasa Apso happy.

These things might not seem like something you would need to do with a dog on a daily basis, but with a Lhasa Apso, it will all be worth it. You must learn to enjoy spending time with your dog in order to have them enjoy spending time with you and other people. Include them in your activities and make them a part of your life, without doing so, your Lhasa Apso will never be the way you really thought they would. It takes time and effort to have a dog of your dreams, it is not only about the breed itself, but you too.

Taking Good Care Of Your Lhasa Apso Is Always A Bonus!

Lhasa Apso is like humans at times, they love to look good and have no problems showing it off to the people and animals around them. Aware of their intelligence and beauty, a Lhasa Apso is often one of the dog breeds that get the most attention for doing whatever they do. Their beautiful coat and personality are something that usually stands out very much, and people love it!

Taking good care of your Lhasa Apso will always give you great results. Aside from being healthy, loving and good looking, a Lhasa Apso will remember you are the one who keeps them as healthy and good looking as they are. Knowing how loyal this small dog breed is, it is easy to say they will surely know how to give you something in return for all your effort. They will willingly do things they usually would not, just to bring a smile on your face, the same as you do everything for them just to maintain their well-being.

Grooming chores of a Lhasa Apso might be very exhausting and time-consuming at times, but it is nothing compared to all the love you will get in return. Make sure you keep your consistency up with grooming just as much as with training. It is an important part of their life and health, without proper grooming and decent health care, a Lhasa Apso will end up unhappy, aggressive, possibly get sick and often refuse to participate in any activities at all.

Teach Your Lhasa Apso How To Do Tricks

Teaching your Lhasa Apso how to do certain tricks can be a lot of fun, but also turn to be a great way to socialize them too! Lhasa Apso is an adorable dog breed, but also very intelligent, teaching them certain tricks can be a great way to show off your adorable little dog and also strengthen your bond. It is always great to have a couple of tricks ready to show off your Lhasa Apso, you will enjoy it, but they will too!

The begging trick

There is nothing cuter than a Lhasa Apso begging and looking all adorable. Teaching your Lhasa Apso how to beg is not a hard thing to do, with a little bit of consistency, they will know it all in no time! Try to bribe your little friend by using rewards and praise, but make sure you repeat it all many times. Know how to lure your dog to do it all, know how to signal them and do not give up in case it does not go the way you wanted it right away.

Paw handshake trick

We all love to meet a dog who knows how to do a real gentleman’s handshake! Teach your Lhasa Apso to handshake, as this is one of the easiest tricks to train. Certain owners claim their Lhasa Apso picked up this trick in a single training session, so with a little bit of luck, yours might too!

Kissing trick

Another very easy trick to teach your Lhasa Apso is the kisses! Any dog can be trained to kiss their owners, so can your Lhasa Apso. If you want your Lhasa Apso to kiss you, try putting a treat on your cheek and say the command of your choice. Soon after, you will get your Lhasa Apso kissing you whenever you please!

Waving trick

Waving trick is one of those tricks that will surely make your Lhasa Apso seem even more adorable than they naturally are! Train your Lhasa Apso to say goodbye or hello to your friends. It is a fairly simple dog trick, but it is an amazing one for getting all of the attention on your Lhasa Apso. Just imagine those cute little paws waving at you from afar!